


Learning

by VioletThePorama



Category: Sam & Max
Genre: Adoption, Character has an Allergy, Descriptions of an allergic reaction, Headcanon, M/M, Vague angst, allergy, sam and max adopt a child, they have to learn how to take care of that child, theyre doing a pretty good job, written by a person who doesnt know how adoption works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2020-11-23 08:44:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20889329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VioletThePorama/pseuds/VioletThePorama
Summary: Sam and Max adopt The Geek, and learn how to take care of a child with an allergy.





	1. Communication is Important

It was a learning experience in bursts.

It began a few days after the fateful day at the science fair, when the Freelance Police crammed themselves into an office with a social worker and The Geek. The social worker spoke with Sam as The Geek alternated between listening and watching as his partner Max (partner of what type was to be determined) shredded paper. 

“We can have you guys meet at a restaurant of your choice to let you all get to know each other better,” The social worker was promising. “You’ll just have to check in with us before Darla…”

A glance was thrown at The Geek, who cringed at her name and sat up a bit straighter. Sam and Max looked at her as well.

“Before what?” Max asked. The Geek shot her worker a (hopefully) meaningful glare when they opened their mouth to respond, and quickly, she launched into the explanation. 

“We’ll have to check on the menu of the restaurant beforehand to make sure it’s safe,” She said, the words tumbling out one after the other, and landing at her feet to be judged. Then, as a weak follow up to their confused faces, she clarified. “I have an allergy.”

The two of them weren’t the most organized, and they certainly weren’t very predictable, but they had a steady… Well that had  _ an _ income of sort sort, enough that her social worker was considering them as possible parents. They seemed excited to get to know her, and most surprisingly of all, they had their paperwork in order. 

The Geek couldn’t quite be sure how they were going to react. Many prospective families blanched at the extra precautions that would be needed, and she didn’t  _ think _ they would hesitate about it, but-

“To what?” Max asked. The noise of ripping paper had ceased, and he was looking at her intently. She could feel her heart speed up as she tried to analyze what his expression meant. 

Then, she answered. 

Max sat back, and for a long moment, it felt like The Geek couldn’t breathe, like she was frozen in place other than the tremble that took over her hands,  _ like she would never get a home with _ -

“Okay,” The lagomorph said, and suddenly she could take a breath of air again. Beside him, Sam’s face was lit up in delight. 

“We know how to deal with that!” Sam said, and The Geek sat back in her chair, listening to how a few of Max’s sisters had allergies. 

______________________

Later, when The Geek was living with them in their freshly cleaned house, she watched as they ‘ _ snuck _ ’ another box of donuts from a drawer in the fridge and into the hall. She set down the project she was working on (it was little more than just a bundle of wires so far), and followed them. She cleared her throat, and stood back enough to avoid being smacked with the box as the two of them swung around, looking guilty. 

“Geek!” Max exclaimed, voice hitting higher pitches than she knew him to be capable of. 

“Don’t sneak up on us like that,” Sam scolded. “We’re liable to have dangerous equipment in our hands one of these days.”

“Where are you going?” She asked, deciding not to point out the fact that she already knew where most of their guns and dangerous equipment were ‘hidden’. 

“To the hall,” Max said slowly. He glanced at the box of donuts and exchanged glances with a very distraught looking Sam. 

“You don’t have to go to the hall to eat those,” The Geek told them. It wasn’t right to kick them out of their own house for something that wasn’t their fault, especially since she had gathered that eating copious amounts of donuts was a normal routine of theirs. 

“But you can’t have them,” Sam responded, looking down at the box. Max nodded along. “Plus, Max gets crumbs and sugar everywhere when we eat.”

“I’ve noticed,” She said, and then went on, because she wasn’t going to be in the kitchen as they ate them, and they could always clean up afterwards… “But you don't have to-”

“Do you want us to?” Sam asked, and The Geek paused. “We can stay in the house and eat them if you want us to, but we want it to be safe for you to be in there without Max turning it into a warzone.”

“The pickles only revolted once, Sam,” Max interjected darkly. 

“Once was enough, little buddy.”

The Geek stood stiffly, trying not to cringe away from the box as Sam shifted his grip on it. Moving from it would only further their argument, and she needed a minute to think it over. It had turned into a bigger deal than she had wanted to make of it, but they were being very aware of her issue. 

Perhaps she was overthinking it. A short glance between the two of them told her that she still had their attention. Even Max was more focused on her than the donuts. 

“I’m not sure,” The child genius said truthfully, and then she barged on. “It’s really nice that you guys are being so careful about it, but I’m not in the kitchen that much anyway, and as long as you guys can clean up-”

“So you want us to stop eating in the hall?” Max interrupted, flicking an ear when Sam muttered something about tact to him. 

“I…” The Geek took a breath… and let it out with a resigned huff. In a much smaller voice, she continued. “... No. Could you keep eating it out there?”

“Sure thing, Geek,” Sam grinned. “Do you need help with anything before we go stuff our faces?”

“There’s some chocolate in the cabinet, if you’re feeling left out,” Max added. 

She glanced at the donuts, thoughtful for a moment. 

“... Could we try to make some of those?”

______________________

The Geek walked around the basement of the building, already mapping out where she could put everything that she was working on. An elevator and tunnel over in the corner going to the top floor (where Sam and Max were) was a must. The walls would be electrical extensions to make sure she could charge everything, and surely the connection to the sewer system a few tunnels over could be made into something. 

“This basement is approximately big enough to hold a golf course in,” Sam noted, looking around at the interconnecting tunnels. 

“Miniature or regular?” Max asked. 

“I’m just reading off the tour guide, goofball.”

“If the dimensions are really what they said on the package, it would be a regular one,” The Geek said, marveling at the empty expanse of basement. “Hey, Sam and Max?”

“Yeah?” Came the chorused voices. 

“Can I have a fridge down here?”


	2. Damn Ice Cream

The Geek wasn’t sure  _ when _ exactly her stomach began to hurt, just that at some point during her work, she became aware of it. At first, it was something that she could shrug off to concern herself with later. Over time, the feeling became more intense. 

The Geek reached over and drank some water, suddenly aware that the ache had crept from her stomach up to her head at some point and had settled just above her eyes, leaving her a bit dizzy and disoriented. 

In all, it wasn’t an unusual state for The Geek to be in when working. She’d been better about staying hydrated ever since Sam had talked to her, sure, but she also tended to either overeat before beginning a project, or skip a few meals during one before her parents came to check on her. 

But it hadn’t been that long since she had eaten, and she was quite sure that she hadn’t overeaten. 

The Geek rubbed her forehead and applied some pressure to either side of her face to try and stave off the headache. When that did nothing, she drank some more water and turned back to her papers. 

She had only a few more equations to get through. For a while, she was able to work, shifting her attention away from her physical misfortunes to the upgrades she was going to make regarding the baby doll Sam had thought she’d enjoy receiving. In the end, it was going to end up talking and capable of movement, but first, it needed a personality. 

But as she shifted around, she was reminded of her stomach, where something seemed to have curled up and lodged itself in the core of her being. 

As she sat back and considered whether or not she was coming down sick, she remembered the bowl of ice cream she’d scarfed down while watching TV with Sam and Max only an hour or two prior to beginning her work.

Slowly, Geek swallowed, and the pit in her stomach suddenly seemed  _ deeper _ and  _ heavier _ . Her lips began to burn, and her fingers tingled as if they had been asleep. She stood, feeling like she couldn’t draw enough air in. Then came the stumbling steps and her hammering heart as The Geek went up the elevator to the main floor.

Maybe she should have ran.

But then again, maybe nothing was wrong at all.

“Sam!” The Geek called. There was nothing. “Max?” She asked, and suddenly her voice was hoarse and her eyes were spilling over with tears because  _ they were probably on a case and nobody was there and her hands were shaking to much and she didn’t quite rememberSybil’snumber- _

“Geek?” Came Sam’s inquisitive voice. She let out a sob in reply and went to cling to his shirt. 

Max was at her side in an instant, looking her over and she buried her face into Sam’s fur. The Geek  _ thought _ she murmured something to him, but she could barely hear what she was saying past the sound of her heart beating and the loud, overwhelming sound of  _ some _ awful ambience that filled her ears.

Whatever she said much have been enough, because she was being moved back, and Max was telling Sam to look at her eyes and tongue. Then, she was opening her mouth like she did at the doctor and Max was doing it along with her. Geek wanted to laugh but instead she was  _ crying _ and Sam couldn’t tell if she was having a reaction because her eyes were already red and puffy from tears. 

The Geek wanted to tell them about how her stomach hurt and how her head made it feel like the world was spinning, but the only thing to come out was stuttering sobs and pants, and it hurt and  _ she couldn’t  _ ** _breathe_ ** -

Sam wiped beads of sweat off of her forehead, dragging his paws against her skin in some way that  _ almost _ grounded her, and Max wasn’t next to them and Sam had picked her up and was carrying her out of the door anyway. 

Once in the car, Max was back again, giving her Benadryl and water. 

_ Tell us if you want to use the epi-pen _ , Max told her, and Geek immediately asked him to use it because anything that could help was good. 

- _ Two and  _ ** _three_ ** -

The needle was stabbed into her leg, but the only thing she could feel was her stomach. Geek watched a drop of blood go down her thigh, and she listened as Max said  _ ice cream _ , even though she had been sure that they had had that brand before. 

Before she knew it, they were at the hospital. The next part of it was a blur of yelling obviously reluctant hospital staff, and then The Geek was on a bed with cold adhesive patches all over her stomach and chest.

She was given a dose of medicine, and then nothing.

**Author's Note:**

> i think thats called fridge humor


End file.
